


Date or Not?

by TheEigthPillarGeneral



Series: Black Moon [5]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Birthday Party, Classical Music, Idols, Light Angst, M/M, Slow Romance, Visual Kei, music industry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-31
Updated: 2018-03-31
Packaged: 2019-04-16 10:18:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14162670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheEigthPillarGeneral/pseuds/TheEigthPillarGeneral
Summary: Byakuya watches Black Moon's interview and reflects upon his loneliness in his home. Renji and the rest of Black Moon start recording their album. And during Chad's birthday party, Renji receives an unexpected offer.





	Date or Not?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [junko](https://archiveofourown.org/users/junko/gifts), [Josey (cestus)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cestus/gifts).



> Here is the next instalment. Beware of a little bit of angst coming up.

“Just in time, Nii-sama!” Rukia said as Byakuya entered her apartment. “The interview’s about to start!”

Byakuya followed Rukia to the couch, where the TV was turned on.

As he’d planned, Byakuya had come over to Rukia’s apartment a while ago so that they could watch the interview together. Rukia sat upon the gray plush couch, wrapped up in a blanket, and upon the coffee table was a small bowl of wasabi peas and rice crackers, along with two glasses of umeshu, or plum wine.

Byakuya sat down on the couch next to Rukia, turning his attention to the TV screen. Onscreen, Shinji was giving an introduction to Black Moon, which featured clips from their latest music video before it cut to the colourful TV set of Vizards TV. The members of Black Moon entered to the applause from the audience before sitting down and introducing themselves one by one.

“And I’m Renji, the lead guitarist,” Renji introduced, bowing slightly.

“Ah, right!” Yadomaru Lisa said. After some applause, she continued, “The brand new lead guitarist who really made an impression at the latest concert in Zepp Karakura, right?”

Much to Byakuya’s amusement, Renji blushed and half-hid his face behind his hand as the audience clapped and cheered.

Rukia laughed. “Oh, Renji! Don’t be so shy!” Smiling, she glanced at Byakuya. “As expected of Renji, since he’s always been such a huge dork. Like, since we were kids, he always blushed whenever someone said something nice to him, it was really cute!”

Byakuya chuckled lightly as he watched them describe the jobs they did before coming into the music industry. However, he was just as surprised as Renji to hear Lisa’s question regarding the tattoos.

“How can she ask such a personal question like that?” Byakuya asked, shaking his head. “‘How far down do they go’? Really?”

“Well, I have always wondered how far down they go, honestly,” Rukia admitted, sipping her umeshu.

After Renji finished blushing at the compliments, Hirako Shinji then asked a question to both Ichigo and Renji this time. “So, about your hair, are those your natural colours?” he asked.

Ichigo nodded. “Yeah, this is my natural hair colour,” he said as Renji nodded in agreement.

“Whoa, seriously?” Shinji raised an eyebrow. “You must’ve had an interesting childhood with hair like that!”

“Er… ‘interesting’ may not be the right word,” Ichigo said, laughing lightly. “I got picked on a lot ‘cause people were bothered by it, for some reason. No one really believed that it was my natural hair colour, but I didn’t care about it. If I cared about what people thought, I’d have dyed my hair black a long time ago.”

Shinji grinned. “Now that’s the spirit!” he praised. “And you, Renji? What was it like having hair like yours?”

Renji shrugged. “Kinda the same as Ichigo,” he said. “Though I mainly got a lot of dirty looks instead of punks trying to fight me. It only got worse in high school when I began to get tattoos and grow out my hair.”

Rukia snorted and chuckled fondly before glancing at Byakuya. “Wait ‘til you hear this story,” she said.

“Tattoos in high school? Jeez, what kind of school did you go to?” Lisa asked, looking surprised.

“A decent one,” Renji said, sweeping some loose strands of hair past his shoulders. “I just began getting tattoos ‘cause I was already into the rock and Visual-Kei scene. But I almost got expelled for having them! People thought they were Yakuza tats, and the principal was already eager to kick me out, ya know? No one really liked me ‘cause of how I looked.”

“Damn, that’s rough,” Shinji sympathized.

“How can anyone not like you? You’re awesome!” Ichigo protested, something that earned enthusiastic cheers and encouragement from the audience and more blushing from Renji.

Rukia promptly started laughing. “Jeez, I didn’t know Ichigo had a hard-on for Renji!”

Even Byakuya couldn’t stop himself from smiling slightly.

“But anyways, despite all that, I made it through high school with top marks! And I graduated with tattoos on my forehead, which I showed off at graduation!” Renji concluded, grinning as he showed off the tattoos on his forehead. “I got these ones out of spite, mainly to say ‘Look at me! I graduated with good marks, long hair, _and_ forehead tattoos, so eat it, suckers!’”

The rest of the band laughed along with the audience. Rukia laughed again, shaking her head fondly. “Never change, Renji. Never change,” she said.

As the interview continued, Byakuya found himself becoming more drawn to Renji, little by little. He’d seen Renji onstage, in a music video, in real life, and in an interview, as of now. For some reason, there was something so fascinating about how Renji was so different in each of those aspects. Sure, Byakuya was aware that many musicians were different from their onstage and music video selves. Even Hisana had been different when not in front of a camera or a crowd of fans. But Renji was such an enigma in his own way.

On the stage, Renji was fierce and sexy, with his shameless teasing, his bold fanservice with Ichigo and Hisagi, and his grinding up on his guitar. In the music video, Renji was more seductive and erotic, with sensual movements of his body and intense expressions upon his face. But in both real life and in the interview, Renji was shy and somewhat of a blushing schoolboy, what with the way he smiled and blushed easily.

Even the other band members had similar behaviour to Renji. While they appeared confident and sexy onstage, they were sweet and shy offstage. But oddly enough, it was just so endearing and charming, especially from someone like Renji, that Byakuya was just so fascinated by it.

“How is it that someone who looks so… fierce, can be so shy as well?” Byakuya asked after a sip of umeshu.

“As I said, he’s always been like that,” Rukia said. “He may try and act all tough but deep down, he’s a total sweetie and a huge dork.” She giggled. “He’s basically a big puppy. He can be fierce and tough, but he’s very loyal and a total softie at heart.”

The interview continued and Byakuya found himself learning a little more about Renji with each question asked. For example, Renji was influenced by X Japan, Zaraki Kenpachi, and Marilyn Manson in his music, and he liked playing futsal and exercising in his free time. The more Renji spoke, the more intrigued Byakuya became.

Eventually, the interview came to an end, so Byakuya left for his own home after saying good night to Rukia.

The drive to his penthouse apartment didn’t take too long. Upon arriving there, Byakuya opened the door and flicked on the lights, slipping his shoes off and removing his jacket. Closing the door, he walked into the living room towards the large windows that displayed an impressive view of downtown Karakura.

His apartment was classy and elegant, understated with a subtle luxury throughout. It was a modern building with a few classical hints in some of the other rooms. But in spite of such a beautiful home, it was lonely. After all, Byakuya had been living alone for a long time now.

From the corner of his eye, Byakuya saw his Steinway grand piano sitting untouched. For some reason, Byakuya felt the urge to just sit down and play until his fingers ached, much like how he used to several years ago. So he approached the piano and opened the piano lid, propping it up. He then lifted the fall board to reveal the keyboard, and set up the music sheet rack.

Then, Byakuya went to the nearby shelf where all his music sheets were stored and searched for a familiar piece to play. He looked through the classical music sheets and managed to find his favourite piece: Frédéric Chopin’s Piano Sonata No.2 in B flat minor, particularly the Marche funèbre: Lento. A sad piece, but it was Byakuya’s most favourite.

Byakuya set the sheets upon the music rack before sitting down on the bench. Placing his hands upon the keys, Byakuya began playing the familiar melancholic notes softly as the music dictated.

It was as if his mind took over, as Byakuya played the piece as though he’d been playing it every day. He played softly when the sheet indicated, louder when he saw the crescendos… it was like he never truly forgot how to play the piano. But as Byakuya continued playing, memories overwhelmed him.

He could almost see Hisana sitting next to him, watching him play as she loved to. In fact, this had been the first song Byakuya had played for her. His heart tugged slightly as he remembered Hisana’s choked sobs.

 _“So… beautiful…”_ Hisana had wept while smiling. _“I know this is a sad piece, but I imagine it to be a waltz between two lovers in the moonlight! It’s so lovely!”_

 _“Lovers in the moonlight?”_ Byakuya had teased her gently. _“Well, Chopin intended this piece to be sad. But maybe we could make it more romantic together.”_

And then they’d set to creating a song called ‘Moonlight Love’, inspired by Chopin’s piece. That was, perhaps, Byakuya’s most favourite song by Hisana, as it reminded him of that evening when he played Chopin’s sonata to her as she sat beside him.

Before Byakuya realized, his eyes felt wet, and his throat had closed up slightly. A tear slid down his right cheek as he continued playing, while memories of Hisana overwhelmed him. The both of them sitting at this piano together, creating songs and singing the lyrics together… those moments had always been the happiest parts of Byakuya’s life.

Hisana had had a sweet voice. It didn’t sound too overly-cutesy, like how most idols were expected to sound. Listening to Hisana singing was like listening to an angel: her voice had been pure and clear, singing the lyrics with a uniquely delicate sweetness with a subtle confidence underlying it at the same time. Her voice complimented Byakuya’s own low, soothing, regal singing voice, as Hisana had described it, much to his shy delight.

When Byakuya finished playing, he wiped the tears off his cheeks as he looked around his apartment. Loneliness squeezed at his heart, and Byakuya sighed. As beautiful as this apartment was, he hated living here, as the pain of being alone was much too strong. It was like a beast that devoured any tiny bit of happiness he had, intent on having him live a life without any warmth embracing him.

Right then, the memory of Renji’s smile appeared in Byakuya’s mind. That wolfish yet friendly grin that suited him so much… Byakuya felt a smile tugging at his lips. Ever since he ate ramen with him several weeks ago, Byakuya wanted to spend a little more time with him again. He didn’t feel so lonely whenever he thought about Renji, oddly enough. Thinking about Renji relieved Byakuya of the aching loneliness just a tad, and made him feel a little better.

Getting up from the piano, Byakuya headed to the bathroom for a warm bath. He wanted to feel less lonely just a little longer.

* * *

“Alright, Renji,” Rukia said from behind the window. “You ready?”

Renji gave her a thumbs up before sliding the headphones over his ears. “I’m ready,” he said, sitting down and placing his guitar on his lap.

He and Black Moon had finally chosen the songs for their album. ‘Dark of the Bleeding Moon’ was going to be a fourteen-track album, which consisted of three of Renji’s songs, five of Ichigo’s songs, two of Hisagi’s songs, two of Chad’s songs, and two of Hitsugaya’s songs. They’d also planned on filming the music video of ‘Momoiro no Hana’, after having been approached by Kyoraku Shunsui, another director of music videos.

After about a week or so of pre-production, where they practiced and timed their songs until they were tight, decided on tempos, and Renji practiced his backup vocals, among other things, it was now finally time for recording in the studio. Along with Rukia as their producer, they also had Kurotsuchi Nemu as their recording engineer, along with her assistant Akon.

Today was the recording of ‘Rosa Rubicundior, Lilio Candidior’, ‘Memories in the Rain’, and ‘Mala Suerte’, and they were currently recording the melancholic song of ‘Memories in the Rain’, which had been written by Ichigo in memory of his mother.

“Okay, we’re gonna get started now! Get ready!” Rukia told him.

Renji heard the ticks of the metronome before the already-recorded parts by the other members began playing through the headphones. Once his cue came up, he began playing the angry yet pained chords while following Hisagi’s rhythm guitar, Chad’s bass, and Hitsugaya’s drumming.

Recording his parts took up quite some time, Renji noticed when he glanced at the clock. By the time he finished recording ‘Rosa Rubicundior, Lilio Candidior’, it was already time for lunch.

Renji stepped out of the recording studio, heading to the lounge to eat his lunch. When he arrived in the lounge, he found that Byakuya was already seated at a table, eating his own lunch.

“Yo, Kuchiki-san,” Renji greeted him. “Mind if I join you?”

Byakuya glanced up at him. “Come in,” he offered.

Renji stepped inside, sitting down next to him. “How’s it going?” he asked, opening up his own bento box.

“Alright, I suppose,” Byakuya said. “What about with you?”

“We started recording our album today,” Renji said. “And then we’re gonna have a meeting about the filming schedule for ‘Black & White’.”

“I see.” Byakuya glanced at Renji. “I saw your interview with Hirako Shinji and Yadomaru Lisa. It was quite entertaining.”

“You did?” Renji was surprised. “I… I wasn’t acting too stupid, was I?”

“Not at all,” Byakuya said. “Rather, I didn’t know that you had those tattoos since high school, or that red was your natural hair colour.”

His eyes glinted in amusement as Renji chuckled.

“Ichigo and I are similar that way,” he said.

“And Ichigo seems to have a crush on you,” Byakuya observed.

Renji laughed. “Yeah, I’m aware. But he looks up to me ‘cause I’m older than him, so it’s more of admiration, I guess.”

They continued eating in silence for a little bit before Byakuya spoke again. “Also, your music video was quite enjoyable to watch,” he said. “I really like your costume, Abarai.”

Renji felt a slight warmth in his heart upon hearing Byakuya praise him, and he stared at him in surprise. It was rare for Kuchiki Byakuya to praise anyone like that, and if they were in the CEO’s favour, then it may as well have been a blessing.

Inside, Renji was thrilled. Out loud, Renji simply said, “Thanks…” in a shy voice. “Oh, um… you wanna come to Shiba’s on April 7th? Chad’s birthday is on April 7th and we’re gonna throw him a little party there. We’ve invited others to come as well. Do… Do you wanna come?”

Byakuya raised his eyebrows in surprise. He’d hardly been invited to celebrate a musician’s birthday, and receiving this invitation was actually… sweet. This was the first time someone willingly invited him.

So he nodded. “I will be there,” he promised.

Renji smiled, which made Byakuya’s heart warm up slightly. “I can’t wait to see you then,” he said.

Once they finished their lunch, they went back to their daily business. Renji felt a new sense of energy within him as he stepped back into the recording studio while Byakuya felt a tiny sliver of warmth within him.

* * *

“Yo, Chad!” Renji said as he stepped inside the bar.

Chad held his arms out for a hug, which Renji gladly gave him. “Happy birthday, man,” Renji told him.

“Thank you,” Chad said.

Shiba’s was a rather cosy bar in downtown Karakura, but the atmosphere was quite lively right now. Ichigo and Hisagi sat at the bar counter, while Hitsugaya sat on a couch with Momo. Yoruichi stood behind the counter, talking to Shiba Kuukaku, the owner of the bar, while they both mixed drinks.

Also attending the party were Rangiku and Orihime, since Rangiku loved parties. Momo had also been invited, so she sat with Hitsugaya and the both of them talked about their work. Urahara was also invited, and he hung out with Yoruichi behind the counter as well. Ishida was also in attendance along with Rukia and Nemu, and they sat at the counter and ate some snacks. Yumichika had also come, having invited his boyfriend Madarame Ikkaku along with him.

In addition, Hisagi had invited Kira Izuru to the party, wanting him to hang out with better company.

“Yo, Ichigo, Hisagi,” Renji greeted them.

Hisagi smiled. “Evening, Abarai,” he said. “Let me introduce you to Kira Izuru.”

He gestured at the young man sitting next to him. The man had blond hair that hung in front of his face, and a gaunt look in his eyes. _Poor guy._ Renji thought.

Out loud, he greeted, “Nice to meet you,” with a smile.

Kira smiled tentatively. “It’s nice to meet you too,” he said.

After that brief meeting, Renji went to mingle with others.

“Is it true that you invited Nii-sama?” Rukia asked him.

Renji nodded. “Yeah, why?”

Rukia smiled. “Thanks, Renji,” she said. “Nii-sama has been so lonely. I think tonight will do some good for him.”

As if on cue, Byakuya entered the bar, though it was clear that he’d come straight from his office. He approached Chad and gave him a small envelope before wishing him a happy birthday.

“Nii-sama, you came!” Rukia said happily.

“Of course,” Byakuya said, sitting down in the chair between Renji and Rukia. “I always fulfill my promises.”

Renji smiled. “Good to see you here,” he said.

Yoruichi grinned at Byakuya. “So you’ve come, Byakuya-boy!” she greeted. “Want something to drink?”

“Some red wine, please,” Byakuya requested.

“Oh come on! Live a little and have something exciting!” Yoruichi encouraged.

Byakuya narrowed his eyes. “Don’t make me rescind my offer, demon cat,” he threatened mildly.

“Wait, what offer?” Renji asked as Kuukaku poured a glass of red wine.

Yoruichi smiled. “You know how I said we landed a location for filming ‘Black & White’?” she asked. “Well, Byakuya-boy offered Urahara the use of his family’s home in Denenchofu for the music video!”

Renji was stunned. Denenchofu? That was one of the richest neighbourhoods in Tokyo! And Byakuya was letting them use his family’s house for a music video?

“Wait, did you say Denenchofu?” Ichigo asked, also looking surprised.

“You mean we’re filming there?” Hisagi chimed in.

Byakuya nodded. “Of course.”

“Aren’t you guys lucky? The CEO’s personally letting you use his family’s mansion for the music video!” Kuukaku said, smiling enigmatically.

Renji didn’t know what to think. Why was Byakuya doing this? First, he attended their concert to offer them a contract with Senbonzakura Music. And now he was letting them use his family’s property for a music video? Just what kind of motives did Byakuya have for doing this?

“Are… Are you sure about this, Kuchiki-san?” Renji asked him. “Won’t your family get upset?”

Byakuya shook his head. “If they get upset, that’s their problem,” he said uncaringly. “It’s not like we’re tearing it down. And besides, I’m an adult, so I can make my own decisions.”

His tone basically ended the conversation. It seemed like family was a rather touchy subject for Byakuya, Renji noticed.

Fortunately, Chad’s cake was brought out, prompting everyone to gather in the middle of the room for cake-cutting. Before they started, Ichigo called everyone’s attention as he stood in front of the bar.

“Alright, before we get started, I just wanna say a few words,” Ichigo said, smiling. “Ya see, Chad has been my best friend since middle school, and-”

Ichigo was cut off by ‘awwww’s from Rangiku, Rukia, and Orihime, making everyone laugh, including him.

“Yeah, we’ve been friends for a long time,” Ichigo continued. “You know how we met? I saw him getting beaten up by some punks, so I kicked their asses after calling the ambulance for them. That day, we made a promise to each other. We’d never leave each other’s side, no matter what. We’ll always support each other, and we’ll go to hell and back for each other. In fact, he and I were the ones who started up Black Moon. And we both swore that if this band ever broke up, it would be our last band.”

He then turned to Chad.

“Thank you, Chad, for everything,” he finished. “You’re the best friend I could’ve asked for. Happy birthday, man.”

Renji clapped along with everyone, cheering as Ichigo and Chad hugged. After singing ‘Happy Birthday’, Chad cut and served cake for everyone.

After taking a plate, Renji sat down on the couch, where he was joined by Rangiku, Orihime, and Rukia. Byakuya, meanwhile, sat at the bar with his small piece of cake.

“I never would’ve thought Kuchiki Byakuya would come tonight,” Rangiku observed. “Rukia told me you invited him, Renji.”

Renji nodded. “Yeah, I did,” he said. “Why?”

“As I said, it’s sweet,” Rukia told him, smiling. “He doesn’t have much friends apart from Yoruichi and me. Nii-sama is awfully lonely and he rarely gets invited for these things, so this is a nice change for him.”

“Well, he used to get invited for parties like these when Hisana was alive,” Rangiku corrected. “But after she passed, he has never been invited to anything.”

Renji paused. “Did you know Hisana?” he asked.

Orihime nodded. “Hisana-san was like a senpai to me. She introduced Rangiku-chan to me, actually,” she said. “For Rangiku-chan, she was her friend. We collaborated on a few projects together for a little while.”

Rangiku sighed. “Sometimes I really miss her,” she said. “Hisana… she was something else. When she smiled, it was like the entire room lit up. It’s easy to see why Kuchiki fell in love with her, ya know? She was his whole world.”

“He must’ve taken it pretty hard,” Renji agreed. “Wasn’t Senbonzakura Music exclusively for Enka back then?”

“It was,” Rukia said. “You see, the Kuchiki family is one of the oldest and wealthiest families in Japan. And, since they’re old money, they’re kinda conservative about a lot of things. They never liked the Idol industry since it first started because they believed it was cheap and trashy. And Nii-sama already had a lot to live up to, even though he had it made.”

“And Hisana-san had been an idol since she was twelve,” Orihime said. “She was popular because she was an idol ‘you can meet’. And she wasn’t allowed to date at all.”

“How’d they meet?” Renji asked.

Rangiku smiled. “Kuchiki-san happened to watch one of Hisana’s music videos,” she said. “He then met her at a fan event and arranged a private meeting with her. They were dating in secret for a long time, which is pretty impressive. They even got married in secret.”

“But they were found out after a few months,” Rukia said, sighing. “God, you should’ve seen the scandal! The family was furious with Nii-sama for dating and marrying an idol, but they couldn’t do much since Nii-sama already took over Senbonzakura Music. Though, pretty much the entire family has disowned him.”

“And Hisana-san got dropped by her producer,” Orihime said sadly. “Poor Hisana-san! She was getting death threats from former fans, especially after Kuchiki-san signed her under Senbonzakura Music.”

“Since then, he’s been getting hell from the family,” Rukia said. “After Hisana-nee died, Nii-sama opened up Senbonzakura Music to all artists, not just Enka singers. And he barely had much time to enjoy being married, because Hisana-nee got appendicitis after five years and died.”

Renji shook his head. He never would’ve thought that a guy like Byakuya had been very lonely. It definitely explained the bitterness in his voice when he spoke about his family earlier. Was that why he was doing things like offering the use of his family’s property? To try and become their friend to ease that loneliness?

Rukia smiled. “Well, I’m glad you invited him tonight,” she said to Renji. “Considering the week he’s been having, I think he really needed this.”

“No problem,” Renji said, giving her a smile.

Gradually, people began leaving the bar until only a few remained. Byakuya was getting up from the bar just as Renji headed to the doors, so Renji waited and held the door open as Byakuya walked out. As Renji approached his motorcycle, he heard Byakuya say, “Abarai.”

Renji glanced at him. “Yeah?”

“Thank you for inviting me,” Byakuya said, his face impassive. Though Renji swore he could see a hint of gratitude in his eyes.

“Don’t mention it,” Renji said, offering him a smile.

“Allow me to repay you,” Byakuya told him, sounding a little bit firm. “Will you let me buy you dinner?”

Renji was surprised, and he turned to look at Byakuya. “When do you have in mind?” he asked.

“Maybe after you’ve done filming part of your music video?” Byakuya suggested. “I know of a good place to take you to.”

Once more, Renji was stunned. However, he knew he couldn’t turn down this offer, so he smiled and nodded.

“Sure, why not?” he said. “I’ll take you up on your offer. See you tomorrow?”

Byakuya nodded. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Renji slid on his helmet and started up his bike. As he steered away from the bar, he couldn’t help but wonder: was this a date?

Well, date or not, it didn’t matter. He couldn’t wait to see what Byakuya had in mind for dinner.

**Author's Note:**

> Looks like Renji and Byakuya are getting a little closer! The next instalment will be a little bit risqué and sexy, so I hope you look forward to it~ 
> 
> PS: Here is what Chopin's sonata sounds like (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZY5DBmgC_A)
> 
> And this is how I imagine 'Memories in the Rain' to sound (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvLLhgb_0ss)
> 
> Let me know how I did :) Have a good one!


End file.
